Many guns involved in Chicago crimes are bought by straw purchasers. Just who are they — and can the flow of illegal guns be stopped?

The 21-year-old Chicago man who allegedly shot and killed Officer Ella French during a traffic stop Saturday has been ordered held without bail and remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest. His brother, who has also been charged, was held without bail during a separate hearing.

Emonte Morgan, 21, and his brother Eric Morgan, 22, each face criminal charges stemming from the Saturday night shooting in West Englewood that left one police officer dead and another in critical condition.

Jamel Danzy, 29, of Hammond, Indiana, was arrested Sunday and has been charged with conspiracy to violate federal firearm laws.

There were more than 45 separate shooting incidents over the weekend, according to police, including two mass shootings and the killing of Chicago police Officer Ella French on Saturday night.

Three officers assigned to the police department’s Community Safety Team were conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle near 63rd Street and South Bell Avenue at around 9 p.m. Saturday when they were fired upon, Chicago’s top cop said at the news conference.

As journalists, we often work to avoid becoming part of the stories we cover. But sometimes, the story is part of us. Last month, my friend Sonya Anderson’s stepson was shot and killed, just two days before his 19th birthday. We sit down for an intimate conversation about gun violence.

Melvina Bogard has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, more than 17 months after the shooting of Ariel Roman inside the Grand Red Line station.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said a new information and resource hub will bring city resources together under one roof so they can more readily address and prevent violent crime. Chicago has seen more than 2,000 shootings and 450 homicides so far this year.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday signed new legislation expanding background checks on all gun sales in the state starting in 2024, a step he touted as “commonsense” and with bipartisan support.

Fifty-one people were shot in 38 separate shooting incidents over the weekend. Chicago also closed out the month of July with 105 homicides, marking the second consecutive July in which the city has surpassed 100 killings.

For the first time since a damning 2019 audit was released by the city’s watchdog, police officials defended their continuing use of records that list approximately 135,000 Chicagoans as members of gangs, citing their need for the data to prevent “retaliatory violence.”

Federal authorities on Tuesday announced that Jose Valdovinos had been arrested earlier this week after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with maliciously damaging and destroying a building in June 2020.

There were 52 separate shooting incidents between Friday evening and Sunday night, according to data from the Chicago Police Department. That includes a police shooting Sunday in the Kenwood community that left one person wounded.

The U.S. attorney general targets illegal guns. City Council approves civilian police oversight as shootings soar. Lollapalooza goes on despite rising COVID-19 cases. Gov. Pritzker makes it official.

The Justice Department is launching an effort in Chicago and four other U.S. cities to reduce spiking gun violence by addressing illegal trafficking and prosecuting offenses that help put guns in the hands of criminals.